Mental Health – The Southern Sooner

body image, Health + Wellness, Mental Health

the body image series: my journey

September 4, 2019September 4, 2019by The Southern SoonerLeave a Comment

This topic has been sitting heavy on my heard, mostly because it’s something I’ve been personally struggling with lately. Truthfully, it’s been hard finding the words to try and share, especially when it’s something I’m in the midst of figuring out for myself, but maybe that’s why I’ve been so compelled to write about it. Blogging has definitely been a powerful outlet for me, but it also gets easy to feel like I can’t write about something until I’ve overcome the issue for myself – which I’m realizing now isn’t particularly true. I know I personally turn to other blogs when I feel like I’m struggling either to find solutions or even just to know I’m not alone (yes, even on the most relatable of topics). My heart has always been to be transparent and raw with all of my readers, and this post is one of those times I wanted to share my heart.

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Health + Wellness, Mental Health

this is what high functioning anxiety looks like

May 8, 2019May 8, 2019by The Southern SoonerLeave a Comment

Hello, hello, loves! Welcome back to another Wellness Wednesday. Today I’m shedding some light on high functioning anxiety, which technically isn’t considered a mental disorder, but I still thought it was important to talk about. During the times my anxiety isn’t quite so high, I consider myself to be someone with high functioning anxiety – solely because my anxious tendencies always exist, but might not present themselves to the point of panic/anxiety disorder. The thing about those with high functioning anxiety is that we function rather well – we tend to use it to propel ourselves forward and as motivation for success rather than sit in fear. However, the toxic mental processes are still there, but we’re just better about hiding it behind a smile. So what exactly does high functioning anxiety look like?

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Faith + Inspiration, Health + Wellness, Mental Health

wellness wednesday: mental health awareness month

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019by The Southern SoonerLeave a Comment

May is one of my favorite months here on the blog because I love getting to recognize one of the aspects of health + wellness I’m most passionate about: mental health. I’ve never been quiet about my struggles with anxiety + panic attacks, but about two years ago – when I revamped the blog – I posted about my personal struggle with anxiety. When I realized how good it felt to open up about my anxiety and saw how many people it touched, I promised I would continue to be a voice for those that still felt unable to speak out.

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Health + Wellness, Mental Health

overcoming anxiety outside of medication

March 20, 2019March 21, 2019by The Southern SoonerLeave a Comment

Welcome back to another Wellness Wednesday, friends! It’s been a while since I’ve talked about mental health but it’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. For once in my life I feel like I have a pretty good handle on my anxiety, but it’s definitely taken a lot of discipline + self-evaluation to get to where I am. I take a mild medication for my mental health issues and I have no shame about that – however, I do think that it takes more than a couple pills a day to truly manage anxiety + depression.

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Faith + Inspiration, Mental Health

the pursuit of hope

December 19, 2018by The Southern Sooner1 Comment

Hope has been a concept I’ve clung to for as long as I can remember – it’s what pulled me through the hardest of times. I really felt like this is a post that needed to be shared with the holidays coming up. I know there are a lot of people I am close to (and those that I don’t know at all) that have had a challenging year, and I know the Christmas season may not be filled with as much joy as usual. I don’t know if this will resonate with anyone, but as I write this post, know my heart has been broken with those who feel beaten down this season – I don’t know every situation, but God does and I can’t emphasize enough that He sees you exactly where you are.

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Faith + Inspiration, Mental Health

idolizing the impossible

October 22, 2018April 10, 2019by The Southern Sooner2 Comments

“God is bigger than the boogieman,” veggietales once told me. growing up in church you hear that concept a lot, and you always seem to know it in the back of your mind but when “the boogieman” creeps up on you, fear + anxiety can swallow you whole. whatever it is that’s haunting you tends to fill your mind and gnaw at you throughout the day, even when you try to push it out of your thoughts. and it’s natural. even Jesus himself said “in this world you will have trouble” (john 16:33) and it’s normal to feel worried about those troubles when they arise.

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Health + Wellness, Mental Health

world mental health day: guest submissions

October 11, 2018January 10, 2019by The Southern SoonerLeave a Comment

for so long my heart has been to help end the stigma surrounding mental health. I am vocal about my own struggles because I believe talking about it not only frees me from what feels like my own personal prison, but allows others to see they’re not alone and hopefully find their own strength to come clean about theirs. but the thing about my own mental health is that I only have my own experience – everyone’s triggers are different and not every person overcomes it in the same way.

I have always wanted to have guest posts about mental health, so I took it to social media to collect stories regarding other people’s experiences. the submissions were made anonymously to make it easier for people to share their hearts. please note that those who shared have made themselves vulnerable and have donated their raw, honest stories for the sake of helping others. please respect their courage to speak out.

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